Nevada Governor Jim Gibbons proposed sweeping budget cuts in the face of a huge budget shortfall during his State of the State address last night.

Republican Governor Jim Gibbons campaigned on a platform of no new taxes and in this State of the State address adhered to that policy.

Nevada is facing a projected budget shortfall of nearly 9-hundred million dollars and Gibbons is calling for more than 300-million dollars in cuts to mental health services and education and the lay off of more than 200-hundred state workers. Gibbons says Nevada’s government became bloated during the construction boom, but now must learn to live within its means.

No new taxes is not a cliché, it is a plan – a plan that means limiting government to its core functions. It means recognizing that businesses do not exist solely for the purpose of funding government programs.

The governor called for a special session of the Legislature on February 23rd to address the crisis. Democrats say they don’t want to raise taxes either and that any budget decisions will be unpalatable.